Fremantle Dockers

SEN newsman Sam Edmund says Fremantle could be lining up Peter Sumich as a potential replacement for under fire coach Ross Lyon.

The Herald Sun has reported the Dockers have referred a second complaint to the AFL’s integrity unit, about an alleged altercation involving Lyon at a Fremantle bar.

It is a separate incident to the one involving a former junior Dockers staff member who alleges Lyon harassed her at a club function years ago.

According to Edmund, the numerous off-field situations is building pressure on Lyon’s job, and a Western Australian football legend could be the individual Fremantle is eyeing off.

“Ross Lyon is in a fair bit of hot water and under a fair bit of pressure,” he told SEN Breakfast.

“We are hearing that such is the pressure on Ross Lyon, the club is lining up Peter Sumich as a potential replacement.

“Ironically, Sumich quit the club in 2016 saying he was changing as a person and Ross was hard, they had their blow-ups. They had a really heated blow-up actually, that a lot of witnesses at the time thought might become physical.

“Sumich was overlooked for the Essendon job, he was overlooked in favour of Adam Simpson at West Coast, and he has knocked back a whole heap of assistant roles since.”

Sumich joined the Dockers in late 2011 as an assistant coach, but quit in 2016, revealing to The West Australian last year he was putting his love of the game at risk.

The dual premiership player told the newspaper, “Ross was very good, but it was tough and he was hard.”

Sumich is currently the coach of the West Australian U18 team.

Edmund also explained how the Lyon situations are now having an influence on commercial partners.

“We have major sponsors Woodside and Programmed both asking the Dockers to publicly explain their practices and culture within the organisation and show some transparency,” he said.